A Reading of the holy gospel according to Mt 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." 3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath. Reading: Mt 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." 3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath. Commentary: According to Jewish teaching, with few exceptions, no work whatsoever was to be done on the Sabbath. Christ always gave the greatest honor to the Sabbath and taught his followers its authentic meaning. He taught that the Sabbath rest is not violated when we serve God or neighbor, as in the example of the Temple priests who do their "work" on the Sabbath. (CCC 581-582, 2173) Reading: Mt 12:6 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. Commentary: Greater than the temple: The Temple was God's dwelling among people; Christ described himself as the definitive Temple since he is the Son of God made flesh. (CCC 586, 590) Reading: Mt 12:7 7And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. Commentary: Christ quoted Hosea (cf. Mt 9:13) to affirm how our exterior acts, devotions, and pieties must be accompanied by love of God and mercy toward our neighbor. (CCC 2100) Works Cited Ignatius Press. The Didache Bible : With Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2014. Edited by Rev. James Socias, 2nd ed., Downers Grove, Il, Midwest Theological Forum, Inc. ; San Francisco, Ca, 5 Jan. 2015, pp. 3, 297. ---. The Didache Bible : With Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2014. Edited by Rev. James Socias, 2nd ed., Downers Grove, Il, Midwest Theological Forum, Inc. ; San Francisco, Ca, 5 Jan. 2015, pp. 3, 298.